


A Dragon in the Ring

by LeastStealthyM8



Category: RWBY
Genre: Bumblebee - Freeform, F/F, Slow Burn, bumblby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-11-19 12:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11313501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeastStealthyM8/pseuds/LeastStealthyM8
Summary: Yang Xiao Long is a profession boxer with the world at her finger tips. However, when a match goes south and she needs to pick herself up, will someone come along and teach her the ways of patients and timing, and maybe a little something more?





	1. Enter the Dragon

Chapter 1

Enter the Dragon

 

Grace and Beauty; these two words should be more than enough to sum up the artistry of what goes on in a boxing ring. Two opponents, coming together, sizing each other up and moving to the rhythms each thrown punch would give. In a way, it's like some kind of dance, though definitely more violent than an elegant waltz in some classy ballroom. Normally, this is what someone might picture when asked to imagine a boxing match. In the case of The Dragon however, the experience may seem a little more...fiery, to say the least.

Yang Xiao Long, also known as The Dragon in the Remnant Pro Boxing Association, was anything but rhythmic. A hot-handed-hard-hitting fiery blonde with a punch that could break through concrete if need be, was faster with her fists than anyone's feet could move in the ring. She had been a boxer since she was a small child, ever since she set her eyes on her first pair of gloves; most say that's when the fire in her belly had ignited. Or, at least that’s how it would have happened in some made for television family movie.

Truth be told, Yang was always a little scrappy; she grew up watching her uncle fight professionally in a boxing league. She and her younger sister Ruby, would always sneak downstairs when their father thought they were both asleep and watch his matches on TV. As she grew older, she would beg her father to bring her to his matches to get the feel for the ring and take in the thrill of a good fight. It was seeing her uncle, hands thrown up in the air in victory after a hard match with the crowd going insane around him, which ultimately drew her in.

From that day on, Yang gave it her all. She would train any time she could, finding time between classes at school to work on her stance and basic footwork. When she got home she threw punches until her arms gave out on a homemade bag she and her sister managed to throw together. Eventually, her father signed her up at a local gym and got her started on her path through minor league boxing. It wasn't always easy, especially in the first few years. The loses came as often as the wins, and so did the coaches. Yang was a bit of a handful when it came to being a student. It wasn't until an unfortunate gambling scandal, involving her uncle, landed her a permanent coaching team; her family.

Her father managed to bring her uncle out of his depression from being kicked out of the league by offering an assistant coaching job to him. Taking this opportunity allowed for him to put down the bottle and at least get back into some familiarity. With her father and uncle coaching her, Yang's younger sister was feeling left out every morning the three would head off to the gym. The blonde was not about to let her sister be lonely, so she took her aside one morning after an early breakfast to let the younger girl know that she was going to be just as much a part of her team as everyone else was. Before Ruby even had a chance to ask how, Yang pulled out a small first aid kit, and told her sister that if she wanted, she could be her honorary medic. Little did the boxer know that the kit was all the younger girl needed to set her off on a path of sports medicine; allowing the younger girl to earn a legitimate place ringside at matches.

Once her team was finally formed, things began to look up for the young boxer. With the training her Uncle was providing in the ring and the mental focus her father taught her from the other side of the ropes, Yang was starting to win more. Practices were tough, sometimes gruelling, but Yang knew that what her uncle was throwing at her day in, day out was exactly what she needed. Little spats came and went but luckily, Ruby was there to keep everyone calm. Eventually, Yang was winning so much in the city minor league that she got bumped up to the amateurs. Even starting at this level wasn't too much of a burden for the team. It was here where she really got to bust out what she knew, not holding back due to the rules in the minors. It was also here where she started making a name for herself.

She earned the nickname "The Dragon", from other opponents which had originally meant to be an insult. They said her eyes seemed to change colour from their normal purple hue to an angry fire red, and that she let her burning temper pulse so hard through her punches that people said her fists felt like they were on fire. Of course Yang thought that was more of a compliment than anything else, so she adopted the title; she'd proudly be a fierce dragon any day. She used it as a form of intimidation to get into her opponent's heads and loved it. She even made up her own logo for her robes that symbolized the burning heart of a dragon so her competition would know what was coming for them.

It wasn't long before Yang and her team were approached by the Schnee Talent Agency; a very prestigious management company usually involved with top athletes and even famous celebrities. They were interested in recruiting her talent and bringing her up to the Remnant Professional league. It was finally time for Yang's big break, and after some dealing and paperwork, the blonde boxer was finally represented. Her first step into the professional ring was just as easy for her as the ams. Her reputation continued on and she quickly became a crowd favourite. The knock outs kept coming and so did the wins. Every match was better than the last and Yang loved the reaction she would hear all around her as she laid a good jab or finished someone off with a well-timed right hook.

She lived for all of it; the roar of the crowd, the sweat dripping from her face, the satisfying sound of glove hitting flesh, everything was perfect. Although, her most favourite thing of all was when the lights went down and she started to pump herself up before a match, and the announcer would call out for her to come to ring.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to heat things up! Get yourselves ready, 'cause she'll burn up the competition...Now, enter The Dragon, Yang Xiao Loooooong!"


	2. The Dragon Meets Her Prey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang is challenged by a mysterious newbie to the professional league...

Chapter 2:

The Dragon Meets Her Prey

 

“Yang! That was an awesome uppercut at the end of the round. There was no way she could have seen that one coming!” Ruby, her younger sister, squealed excitedly as the older girl plopped herself down in her corner after the end of round bell rang. She swiftly ducked under the ropes and made to squirt some water in the boxer’s mouth, being careful not to accidently drown her in her quickness. She then looked up and took in her sister’s face, “Although, she did manage to give you a bit of cut there over your left eyebrow. It doesn’t look too deep so it shouldn’t need anything drastic. I’ll just quickly clean it out and stick a binder on it.”

The boxer winced slightly as Ruby placed a damp pad of rubbing alcohol on her cut, laughing it off as the pain began to subside, “Aw it’s no worries Rubes, a little cut over the eye never hurt anyone. In fact, if I had a dollar for every cut I ever got in the ring, we’d be even richer by now.”

The laughing between the two sisters was quickly cut off however by a gruff, stony voice, “You wouldn’t have to worry about the cuts at all if you just kept your hands up instead of hastily throwing punches all over the place…”

Yang looked up to see her uncle Qrow slipping through the ropes on the other side of her. Despite the match going well in her favour, Qrow wasn’t looking very impressed with her performance. He had been training with her for years now, knew all of her moves and what made her tick. He saw everything she was capable of giving and knew that right now, and especially over the past few months, Yang was slowly slipping into laziness. Overconfidence and cockiness was a terrible thing to give into, and Qrow knew that if he didn’t stay on her case, nagging her about it now, it would only be a matter of time before she got too into herself.

“It was a lucky shot!” replied the blonde as she rolled her eyes, “Pyrrha is a good fighter, probably one of the top in the league. She’s quick and she knows how to move, but she can’t outrun these gloves. One more round and I have her…she can’t handle how fast my hands are coming at her!”

Qrow grabbed her gloves and gave them a frustrated shake, “Listen up Firecracker, it takes one hit…one lucky shot, as you say, to end the match with you on the ground. So please, please just do me a favour and keep this…” he took her left hand and pulled it up to her chin, “Up where it belongs. Protect that goofy face of yours alright?”

“Alright, alright fine!” sighed the boxer as her sister finished up the quick patch job over her eye. She quickly thanked her and gave a side hug as she got up from her seat, “I’ll be more careful, I promise…but if I have the chance, I’m taking her out this round however I see fit.”

Qrow shook his head and grabbed her seat to clear it out of her corner, “As long as you keep your chin safe, you do what you want kid.”

She sent her uncle a quick smile before pushing her mouth guard back in place, and then headed out towards the middle of the ring just as the bell sounded for the round to begin. As promised, she started the round with her hands up where they should be; perfectly blocking the jabs her opponent was throwing at her. As the time for the round began to dwindle down however, Yang decided now was her chance to end it. She spotted her moment, dropped her hands slightly and began to shower the now tired girl in front of her with a blur of jabs. They were quick and rough, sending her opponent shuffling backwards to try and regain some footing. The other boxer didn’t have a chance to get another hit in, as Yang delivered the final blow; a swift and hard right hook to the side of the girl’s face. She went down as hands went up, and the referee came in to assess the situation. After several seconds, the ref took Yang’s hand and threw it up in the air, indicating her as the match victor. The crowd went wild, and the blonde boxer jumped up and down in celebration, drinking in the energy of the arena. She then went over to the girl slowly getting up from the ground, and extended a gloveless hand out to help her up. Good sportsmanship was something Yang usually prided herself on, plus, she really enjoyed her matches with Pyrrha whenever they had the chance. She was great competition and one of the only girls in the league who she had a healthy out of ring respect for. Pyrrha accepted her hand and pulled herself up, patting the blonde on the back as she stood.

“Congratulations Xiao Long. That was an excellent fight.” The taller girl chirped with a smile through a slightly bruised face, “Next time though, I promise I’ll give you a run for your money.”

The blonde smirked and gave the red head a playful punch in the arm, laughing, “And I promise to let you think you’ll do that next time. Awesome fight though buddy, can’t wait to see you here again. Say hey to your team for me, I think I still owe them drinks from that bet I made last month.”

Pyrrha chuckled as she remembered, “Oh, you mean the one about when Jaune was going to propose to me. Trust me, they haven’t forgotten, and you better send me you rsvp soon!”

The two girls shook hands properly as Yang nodded her response and then began to leave the ring. The crowd was beginning to die down and made for the slow walk to the exit doors, as the blonde made her way to her dressing room. She was now looking forward to a nice relaxing evening being iced down and most likely lectured by her coaches as they went over tapes from the match.

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A few weeks later, Yang found herself at the gym being wailed on by her uncle. He and her father, Tai, had sat her down while Ruby assessed her body and helped unwrap her hands to go over every round of her last match. They both pointed out a good amount of positive things, such as her footwork being on point and how well she was keeping her endurance up and under control. They also pointed out however, that she was getting sloppy in the blocking department. Yang began to protest, stating that she already knew because Qrow had already mentioned it, but that didn’t stop the two men going over each “near hit” frame with her, one by one. After a long night of Ruby trying to break up small spats, Yang finally agreed to work on it; knowing that in the end, her uncle knew best and that he was only trying to make sure she stayed successful and at the top of her game. The blonde was getting back into her regular groove of block work, getting back to the feeling of perfectly protecting herself. She had to admit that Qrow was right; even though she was quick, it really did only take one lucky shot to end the match with her looking up at the rafters. She was listening to Tai shout encouragement from the sidelines as Qrow sent jab after jab towards her head. The blonde knew that he was helping, but she also knew he loved the feeling of throwing those punches. She was definitely happy he was there with her, even if it meant the end of his own successful career.

Just as they finished up and Yang was toweling the day’s hard working sweat off, the door to the gym opened. In walked a very professional looking woman, cellphone in hand, most likely reading important emails as she walked up to the group. As she approached, she slid her phone into her pocket before sending a smile to the family standing in front of her. “Yang! Good to see you working so hard and moving in top form. I see your cut healed up nicely from the last match. Also good to see you Tai and…Qrow. I hope I’m not interrupting?”

Tai moved over to the new woman in the room and scooped her up in a big, overbearing hug that was customary to the Xiao Long family, “Don’t be silly Weiss! You’re family, you’re never interrupting!”

Yang and Qrow hid their laughter as they watched Weiss’s face go slightly red from embarrassment. Weiss Schnee was the heir and top agent at the Schnee Talent Agency. She had been the one to approach Yang several years ago, making a deal to represent her on behalf of the agency for her professional boxing career. She was her manager and agent, booking her matches and dealing with press, interviews and any sponsorship dealings that came the boxer’s way. A year ago however, Weiss became a member of the family officially, when she proposed to and married Ruby. The two had been seeing each other almost immediately after Weiss became Yang’s representative, and Qrow couldn’t help but make playful jabs at the couple ever since. Weiss was still getting used to the Tai hugs though; those were something she was not prepared for when she had decided to enter this family.

“So lil sis…” Yang managed to get out as she shook away the laughter. She walked over and gave her a smaller, more professional hug before continuing, “What brings you to my gym today?”

The smaller girl quickly straightened out her clothes that had been roughed up by her father-in-law before clearing her throat and looking back up to her talent, “Actually, I’m here today to let you know that you’ve been booked for a title fight about a week from now. By the sounds of it, it’s going to be a good fight.”

“A title fight? This close to the last one?” asked Tai as he grabbed himself a bottle of water, “Yang only just had one two months back. That seems awfully quick.”

Weiss shrugged, “It is a quick turn over, but we’ve been approached by the opposing team’s representative. They seem to be extremely confident in their team winning the title, so, knowing that it’s going to be a good fight, I booked it. This will be huge for Yang. Apparently the girl challenging her is a newbie, fresh out of the Ams and looking to make a name for herself, you know how it is…”

“Hit the bags hard and then come out swinging…” sighed Yang as she crossed her arms in front of her. She thought back to how she had been when she first entered the Pros; wanting to show the world what she could do right off the bat. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and then stretched out her arms that were beginning to feel stiff, “So she wants to prove herself eh? Who better to put a newbie in their place than me?”

“Exactly!” replied Weiss as she once again checked her phone before placing it back into her pocket, “It’ll be the talk of the league! Plus…I’m not too fond of the way their rep spoke with me…a little too cocky for their own good…I may have said a few…things.”

Qrow came over now and gave the short girl a playful slap on the back, “Ooooo, Weiss was getting a little mouthy on behalf of her new sister eh? Look at you caring and being all sweet.”

“Aw come on Qrow let her be.” laughed Tai in that fatherly way he did, “Of course Weiss is sweet, our little Rubes knows how to pick the good ones.”

“I pick good what now?” Ruby had just entered the gym, walking over to her wife and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to the rest of her family, “What’s going on? What did I miss?”

Weiss then went into explaining her news as Yang began to run her cool down exercises for the day. The blonde couldn’t help but feel excited, as title matches were a very serious thing. A lot was on the line here, including her near spotless knock out career. Since entering the pros, she had only been brought down twice; once fairly early on in her first year, and again a few years ago, but by points and not a K.O. She was definitely looking forward to defending her place at the top, especially from a new comer who sounded a little too overconfident for their own good.

“-at being said, Yang make sure you are properly prepared and dressed for your weigh in for this match the night before it takes place alright?”

Yang snapped out of her thinking and stretching to look up to her agent, “Hm? Oh…yeah right, don’t you worry, I know exactly what I’ll be wearing for the weigh in. Nothing says intimidation like these two guns!”

Everyone laughed, and Weiss rolled her eyes; it was always like this with the Xiao Long family. The jokes continued as they all packed up for the night, agreeing to step up the training for the next week starting early the next morning. Yang was going to be prepared; ready for whatever was coming her way.

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After a gruelling week of intense training, Yang now stood with her team behind stage of her televised title weigh in. She could feel the adrenaline pulse through her entire body as the anticipation of meeting her next opponent rose. On the outside however, the boxer looked calm and cool, almost keeping an aloof expression as she sneakily glanced around the room. She didn't want to let anyone know she was looking, that would make her seem too unfocused and any little thing could be used as an edge in the ring. The less your opponent knew about you on a mental level, the better off you were; many matches could be lost by having someone getting into your head. The more she scanned the room however, the more frustrated she became. No one back stage resembled even a hint of a professional boxer, let alone the team that she would undoubtedly have with her. Surely they would know to be here, that professional matches like this had the traditional events. Even some bigger matches in the armature league had them. The blonde boxer was beginning to feel as though this was a waste of her team’s time, and that clearly whoever this newbie was had probably chickened out last minute. Maybe she thought that Yang wouldn’t accept such an odd and ballsy proposal. It wasn’t very often an event like this popped up; usually you would have to have some matches won under your belt before you would even consider throwing challenges around.

The more she thought about it, the more irritated Yang began to feel. She was about to turn to Weiss and ask her if maybe she was being set up, when she felt a small bump of someone passing by her. She glanced over, about to say something for not hearing an apology, when she stopped. She was greeted by a kid shyly backing away, motioning their sorries. Yang smiled and waved them off, it was clearly an accident and that kid probably didn’t realise how close she was with all the excitement and people around. That being said, it was odd for a kid to be back here behind stage. The boxer brushed it off and assumed they were probably the daughter of some higher up of the production company or league. She then turned her attention back to her team just as Tai was reaching over to get her attention.

“Alright Yang, time to make your way to the front.” he said as he placed a reassuring hand on his daughter’s shoulder, “You know the drill, keep a calm profile, play up that old Xiao Long charm, and make them quake in their little trunks. You got this.”

The boxer smiled as she reached out to pat his shoulder in the same fashion, “Thanks dad, I’ll show them how we come to play.”

Yang then made her way over to the side stage where she would enter from, currently barred off from anyone not going on stage for security measures. As she walked up to the security guard, he asked her for her I.D event pass, standard procedure he had told her, even though everyone knew who she was. Laughing, the blonde reached down into her pocket to fish out her wallet for her pass; however her fingers found nothing. Still laughing slightly, she continued to rummage around her other pockets for it. Surely she had it because she remembered it being handed to her earlier that afternoon. She remembered taking it from Weiss, and then placing it in her back pocket. Just as she was about to say something to her manager, Yang noticed out of the corner of her eye that kid from earlier, sticking their tongue out and waving her wallet and pass around before vanishing into the crowd.

“That little shit…” Yang breathed out angrily.

Ruby came up to her and tried to see what the holdup was, “Yang what’s going on? What are you looking at?”

The boxer was trying her best to keep her temper in check as she pointed to the spot where the thief had been, “Some kid bumped into me earlier and stole my wallet and my event pass! I just saw her go that way!”

The security guard was looking at both of them now, telling them he couldn’t technically let Yang through without the pass. Ruby pleaded with him and showed him her pass, and the obvious logo of Yang’s boxing team on all their shirts and jackets. After a few seconds, the guard waved them through. Yang was about to take off after the kid, but Ruby talked some sense into her, “Yang, it’s all good. I’ll go track her down while you go do your thing. There are no doors to escape from back here…I’ll have your wallet back before they even finish your intro. Now go!”

Yang sighed irritably, but nodded her agreement. She couldn’t let some jerk kid ruin her weigh in persona she had going for her. With one last set of high fives to the rest of her team, the blonde boxer slowly made her way the stage, waiting for her name to be called. The room in front of the stage was packed full of reporters and other boxing enthusiasts, all waiting to see the two competitors come out and show off their stuff. As Yang’s name was called, the room erupted in cheers and clapping; it was clear that she was a crowd favourite, and that alone would be more than enough to intimidate anyone. However, it was also customary at weigh ins to strip down to your boxing suits…and Yang was always happy for this part. The boxer had tight black spandex shorts with a print of a traditional Chinese dragon wrapping around her left leg in a golden orange, and a matching sports bra top in the same colour orange with her black burning heart logo across her chest. The outfit alone looked stunning, and it didn’t hurt that she had the body of what was clearly a top notch professional athlete. What really topped everything off was her twin dragons tattoo sleeve that wrapped their way around her right arm. If a person had to meet someone in a dark ally, Yang would not be the one they would want to see.

Yang then stepped up on the special scales and smiled as she saw that she was indeed, just right for the weight class; she even noticed that she gained a little more muscle mass, a nice added bonus. As she stepped off, the announcer waited for the cheering to stop before announcing her would be opponent.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s now time to introduce to you, for her first professional title match, let alone her first professional level fight…a new face with something to prove, here she is…Neo!”

Yang watched with a slight smile on her face as the crowd clapped, but nowhere near as well as they had for her. The smile was quickly removed from her face as she turned her attention towards the girl now entering the stage…the same girl she saw with her wallet. Yang was dumbstruck; how could this be? She’s clearly a kid, right? She was so tiny, maybe only coming up to Yang’s chest at best. What kind of name was Neo? Did she not have a last name? Why is her hair two different colours? Why did Yang suddenly have an urge to hit up an ice cream place? Also how dare she come out on this stage with that smirk on her face? Questions kept flowing into Yang’s brain as she was trying to process everything, including her rage, at the same time. She barely heard the announcer confirm that Neo met the weight requirements, and almost completely miss him call the two to centre stage for a sportsmen-like handshake.

The Blonde shuffled over, still confused but trying her best to seem intimidating as she reached out her hand towards the shorter girl, “Looking forward to a great match…”

The smaller girl however reached up and took Yang’s hand and gave it an extremely hard squeeze, saying nothing in return and just stared her down with smirk. After the customary pictures for the news and articles, the two girls pulled away, Neo turning away instantly and making her way off stage leaving the blonde standing alone, hand still outstretched. It then took her several seconds to realise that there was something in her hand. As she came to her senses of what just went down, Yang looked at her hand was greeted with what would be the final push over the edge of keeping her temper in check. There, looking back up at her was her own face on her event pass, clearly drawn all over in permanent marker making her look extremely silly.

_Oh…that’s fucking it…_ thought Yang to herself as she turned and made her way to her team behind stage, _No one makes a fool out of me…I’m going to punch her face so hard tomorrow that even dental records won’t be able to tell who she is…little fucking shit…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took some time to get out, the original way I had part of it written didn't feel right with me. Hopefully you're all still enjoying this story, and again, I do have almost the whole thing thought out to completion! Just need the time to write it out. feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think!


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